Ideas for Designs

As the sun light is the main aspect of my clients ritual, I have looked into the suns path further and into the times of the day it that it rises and sets. I wish to integrate this into my design and create a feature of light within the site. My ideas are forming around the design following the light throughout the day which means it would have to have the capability of moving across the house to stay in line with the sun. Clockwork uses mechanical pieces such as cogs and gears to maintain the movement of the hands. Looking into this I want to create a space that has sunlight as a stream into the area but in time with the suns position in the sky.

The interior of a clock needs energy to create the movement of the mechanisms. An electric clock is powered by electricity, as opposed to a mechanical clock which is powered by a hanging weight or a mainspring. This option of a mechanical clock was the better option to explore further. The mainspring is a spiral torsion spring of metal ribbon used as a power source in mechanical watches, some clocks and other clockwork mechanisms. By winding the timepiece, knob or key, energy is stored in the mainspring by twisting the spiral tighter. This force of the mainspring then turns the clocks wheels as it unwinds, until the next winding is needed - This type of mechanism means that the is continually needed to be wound at certain times to make sure there is enough power for the clock to work. For my design, I want it to be continuous not something that only works when someone has managed to wing it up, especially as it needs to be in exact timing with the suns path across the sky. An automatic or self-winding watch is a mechanical watch in which the mainspring is wound automatically as a result of natural motion of the wearer's arm, to provide energy to run the watch, making manual winding unnecessary. 

HOW: A mechanical watch is powered by an internal spiral mainspring which turns the gears that move the hands. The spring loses energy as the watch runs, so in a manual watch movement the spring must be wound periodically by turning a small knob on the case, the crown, to provide energy to run the watch. Otherwise, once the energy in the mainspring runs out, it stops. Therefore a self-winding watch movement has a mechanism which winds the mainspring. The watch contains an eccentric weight which is the rotor (a self winding mechanism) which turns on a point. The movements of the users arm cause the rotor to pivot on its staff, which is attached to a ratcheted winding mechanism (clog that can only rotate one way). The motion of the wearers arm is then translated into circular motion of the rotor which, through a series of reverser and reducing gears, eventually winds the mainspring. A slipping clutch device is used on the mainspring so it cannot be overwound. 

SOLAR:      "A solar panel, or module, is a series of interconnected silicon cells joined together to form a circuit. In greater numbers the amount of power produced by these interconnected cells can be increased and used as an electricity production system."

www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2013/05/what-are-aolar-panels-made-of/

A solar-powered watch is entirely or can be partially powered by a solar panel. Sunlight and artificial light are absorbed by a solar panel behind the crystal. This solar panel converts the light into electrical energy to power the watch. Energy will usually be stored in a rechargeable cell to power itself during the night or when covered. The energy from the light is stored in a self-rechanrging battery which never needs to be changed.

After researching multiple options, the solar option looks to be the best for my designs as the day light would easily be enough to make the movement within the space be continuous and without needing to have someone wind it back up at night or use large amounts of electricity by batteries or other forms of power.

Thinking about how a clock works, I originally thought that my design would would like the face of a clock - 9.00 on the face would be sunrise, 12.00 would be midday and 3.00 would be sunset, as the pillar worked around the clock it would follow the sun path creating maximum sunlight to be shone into the hole at the top throughout the whole day. This would also mean that it would continue on at night, under ground, going around the clock but would make a hole in the floor of the space. Hazard.

This one above would work like a ball in a socket or with two pins holding it in place but would roll around with the sunlight. Because of the tower shape, the sunlight would be a small line in the morning and work its way down the side until midday which would make a straight line in the middle, then carry on up the side of the tower in the afternoon. 

The design to the right would work like a very large cog, and having only the top half of the main cog visible, the rest under ground and connected to the other cogs and gears like within a watch. This could be powered by solar power, and have panels behind the design to capture the afternoon light which would be enough to make it continuously run.